Most vehicles equipped with communication systems rely on existing communication networks to establish a communication link between the motor vehicle and a third party allowing the transmission of data therebetween. When a vehicle leaves its home region, it enters into a roaming mode where the vehicle will establish a communication link through a wireless network operated by a third party that may not be a part of the wireless network in its home region. In many situations, the provider of the wireless network will have a preferred roaming list so that when a communication device, be it a mobile phone or a vehicle communication system, leaves the home region, the communication device will establish a communication link through a provider of wireless communication services that has a relationship with the home region service provider. This reduces the costs to the user and the service provider of the home region. From time to time, the preferred roaming list of a service provider will change. Those changes may be transmitted to a communication device only when the subscriber of the services places a call to update the preferred roaming list. This is not done on a regular basis. In addition, the live call placed with the communication system to update the preferred roaming list may require a relatively large amount of time. This call, on the order of possibly three minutes, is too long to have a subscriber wait for its completion.